1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wristbands and, more specifically, to a wristband having two substantially parallel layers or bodies, a soft inner body and an outer body with a printable outer surface.
2. Background Information
A wristband is an elongated, narrow, and typically thin body structured to have the ends coupled together. The wristband is, typically, provided to a user as a flat body which the user wraps about their wrist and couples the ends, thereby forming a bracelet-like band about the wrist. To resist removal of the wristband, the diameter of the wristband during use is smaller than the user's hand. Wristbands, which are typically inexpensive and disposable, have many uses including, but not limited to, identification of patients in medical facilities and identification of participants and/or audience members at events. Wristbands may be worn for a few hours, e.g. at an event or in an emergency room, or for a longer period of time, e.g. an extended stay at a hospital. The concept disclosed and claimed below relates to an inexpensive wristband having a comfortable material against the user's skin, and which is structured to be printed upon by a label printer. Therefore, the remainder of the specification shall refer to medical wristbands, patients, etc. but it is understood that the disclosed and claimed wristbands can be used for any purpose.
A person wearing a wristband at a medical facility may be required to wear the wristband for an extended period, including during activities such as sleep which may be disturbed by an uncomfortable wristband. The wristband provides identification of the patient, some of whom cannot speak or are otherwise unable to provide identification. This information is vital as identification of the patient is required to ensure each patient receives their specific treatment. Wristbands may include additional information such as, but not limited to, allergies, patient identification number, etc. Unfortunately, patients are not always cooperative, or may not be able to control their actions, and often try to remove their wristbands. The desire to ensure the wristband remains on the patient was, generally, considered to be more important than the desire to have a comfortable wristband. Thus, wristbands were initially made from resilient, but uncomfortable, materials. One type of “uncomfortable material,” as used herein, is a substantially solid plastic, or other polymer, that does not breathe. That is, a plastic material that does not allow air to flow through the material is uncomfortable.
Further, the coupling device for coupling the wristband ends must resist efforts to remove the wristband. Coupling devices, such as, but not limited to, snaps and clips, were, and still may be, bulky or otherwise uncomfortable. Other coupling devices, for example a tab and slot device, result in a wristband configuration that does not lay flat against the user's skin. This configuration is also uncomfortable.
Two separate improvements to wristbands include the use of more comfortable materials, such as fibrous sheet material, which is resistant to damage, while being breathable, water resistant, and inexpensive. It is, however, difficult to print on fibrous sheet material without a ribbon type printer. Thus, wristbands made from multiple layers, or bodies, were created. These would typically include one body that was the fibrous sheet material, for strength and comfort, and a second body that included a printing surface. These bodies, and possibly others, were joined together in a multilayered wristband.
Separately, adhesive coupling devices have replaced bulky snaps and clips. The adhesive is disposed at one end of the wristband body and, prior to use, protected by a release liner. That is, the adhesive is disposed on a limited portion of the wristband body surface, typically the portion is a small fraction of the wristband's length. The release liner is disposed over this portion of the wristband body. That is, the wristband has a number of layers and, at the location of the release liner, there is an additional layer. This type of wristband is typically produced in sheets similar to a typical sheet of paper. That is, wristbands, which are generally rectangular, are disposed in parallel, i.e. wristbands are temporarily coupled by perforations disposed along their long, or longitudinal, sides. In this configuration, the sheet of wristbands may be used in a typical printer, such as, but not limited to, an inkjet printer, a laser printer, a thermal printer, or a dot matrix printer.
Medical facilities, as well as other facilities, have typically relied upon label printers for wristbands. Label printers are smaller, less expensive, and typically portable. Label printers, however, are fed by rolls of wristbands. That is, the blank, rectangular wristbands are not coupled along their longitudinal edges, but rather by the short ends, i.e. the longitudinal ends. This configuration forms an elongated web of wristbands disposed in series. The wristbands disposed in series are wound about a core as a reel to form the roll of blank wristbands.
Rolls of blank wristbands, however, do not use the separate, localized adhesive/release liners, e.g. a separate body having a release coating thereon that covers only the adhesive portion of the wristband body. This configuration would not function with common label printers. That is, while an individual release liner has a minimal thickness, multiple release liners disposed on a roll have a combined effect resulting in an asymmetrical reel, as shown in FIG. 1.
Instead, rolls of wristbands typically include two bodies; an outer body, which is typically a non-breathable plastic, having a printable surface and a liner. The outer body and liner are coupled by an adhesive. The liner, which is also a non-breathable material, has a release coating applied to at least a small portion thereof. The liner is applied to the entire back surface of a wristband while having a removable tab at the location of the release coating. When this tab is removed a small portion of the adhesive backing is exposed and may be used as a coupling device. Thus, the bulk of the material contacting the user's skin is the non-breathable liner. As such, wristbands that are printed on a label printer either have an uncomfortable liner disposed adjacent the user's skin or rely on the less comfortable tab/slot device or other uncomfortable coupling devices.